Why Read Blogs?

Why Do Women read Blogs?

Gilad, a notable fitness instructor, of excellent health, advises the viewer of his DVDs to exercise at a comfortable level, and make realistic goals, which are like steps. Step by step, the person seeking better health can realize their goals.

There are many aspects I like about Gilad's Fitness DVDs. One aspect I like is his advice.
Maybe I like Gilad's advice because it sounded like advice I myself have told myself, after experiencing pains around my knees while actively exercising. I told myself...No Pain...Better Health; and made my own 'body-safety-awareness' a part of my health goals.

If people work 'towards limitation' they will one-step-at-a-time, gain better health.

I believe that if I set realistic goals, and work step-by-step towards my goals, then I will reach my goals; and when I do, my accomplishment will feel like looking down from the mountaintop.

[Q: On top of the mountaintop, would you rest or look for another mountain to climb?]


From my perspective, I would like to support people whom I agree with. Gilad voiced discoveries I also noticed...we discover our limitations and respect them.

I also like the advice given by Dr. Zinn, although I don't always agree with him.

I realized today [4/13] that many people read each others writings because they are looking for solutions.

People read, and not just for entertainment. Some people write to be helpful, inspirational, or informative.

Why Do People Read Blogs?

I connected the idea of people reading other people's blog and writings and seeking solutions, back to my own blog (Blogging with Voices). In my blog, I write about managing stress, anger, and anxieties (or paranoias), especially after hearing negativity and lies from invisible voices, or when hearing negative comments while trying to stay centered while performing normal activities.

This blog is about Schizophrenia, and my blog seems to have turned into my reflections about people and life while hearing invisible voices.

In the beginning, I dreamt of my blog being about recovery, and the path back to better health. I want to communicate with sincere people, suffering from mental illnesses, who are interested in sharing positive and practical advice.

I want to use Blogger.com as a medium to create a blogging community that is active in dealing with mental illnesses, and does positively support each other.

Blogging is not a cure for any mental illness.
I find reading less-intrusive, non-threatening advice helpful...a lot like hearing a silent therapist.

I think Oprah should write on Blogger.


In a previous off-topic-blog, I wrote about Jerry Springer, the TV host of a popular talk-show.

In that blog, I asked myself...'what do TV viewers 'get' (receive) from watching Jerry Springer'?

Later, I answered this question...

Why Do People Go On Jerry Springer?


My Answer (from my perspective):

1. Jerry is cheaper than therapy.

2. On Jerry's show, the person can walk away without a police record.


Airing-out one's dirty laundry on national T.V maybe a way to tell the truth publicly. If a person is very angry, after the audience hears the angry person's complaint, and the audience chants 'kick his butt'... then, the angry person feels like he is given the 'green light'...and feels free to defend his honor. Security stops fights before they become dangerous.

Whether the complainer loses or wins the fight, that person (usually male) can walk away from the show knowing

1. He has told the truth...in public (to the world).

2. He can return to work knowing he defended his honor and left with no police records.

I think that African-American men have similar, yet, different reasons for going on Jerry. I don't believe the reasons are centered around 'honor,' rather from 'calling someone out' and acknowledging another person's 'dirty deed.'


Why did Women go on Jerry Springer?

Since I was thinking about people, I wondered...why did women go on the Jerry Springer show?

I be honest, I don't know why.

As a person with a T.V, I watched women on Jerry's show yell and fight with other women who had angered them. Yet, with the popularity of T.V talk shows like The Oprah Winfrey show, which helped popularize talk therapy, Riki Lake, whose host gave young people and teenagers practicle, good advice; and Dr. Phil, a excellent marriage counselor, who acts like the voice of authority to many young people growing up...I could not understand why women chose to fight each other on Jerry Springer. I also noticed how the females in the audience volunteered to flash their 'ta-tahs' at the camera, and slide around a silver, metal pole in frount of Steve Wilko.

The female behavior was puzzling then, and if Jerry is still broadcasting on T.V, maybe puzzling today.

I believe I have a solution:

1. Oprah may choose to write a blog on blogger, or join a blogging community.
Women tend to like reading other peoples writings, opinions and reading about their experiences.

2. A writing / blogging community offering helpful advice may also be, like Jerry...

A. Cheaper than therapy, and...

B. A medium to tell the truth through. Telling the truth about ones personal problems in life can make a person feel like they actively did something about their problems...that didn't leave a police record.

How Ī'm Feeling

How Ī'm Feeling!

July

Some people wonder why brown people can't work reverse discrimination 'right'.

The Rosa Parks American Herstory story, as I learned it, was about a group of people who decided to give 'better-than-equal' status to themselves; and felt enabled to discriminate on racial grounds (based upon a person's ethnic classification).

In My Opinion, because this group felt 'uncommon,' they may have felt 'above the law.'
Whatever the average bus riding person felt while riding the bus in our warm climates, a half-century ago, I learned that because a few people felt the need for added privileges, laws were created to grant privilege, privileges that everybody who rode buses, or shopped and ate at resturants could not enjoy.


As I understood the American Herstory lesson, one woman decided to not automatically 'give up' her seat; so, I was told, she sat. I was told that this event set off the Civil Rights Movement in America in the Twentieth century.

I understood that a group of people challenged the lawmakers, because they believed such laws were not 'just' or were unfair to all people, all American citizens who rode buses, ate in resturants or shopped at local businesses.

To my modern notion, that's like saying every person who bought a bus ticket must find a seat...no pushing, name calling, or removing other people from their seats.

Did I miss the point?

When I received my education, I was taught that large groups of diverse people (not a small minority) together made rules to determine what was fair, or determine what equal considerations meant for American citizens. I learned there were good reasons to award 'privilege' or 'special considerations' to individuals.

As an example, I mention laws that help handicapped people with special needs who needed extra space because of a wheelchair they may need to transport on a public bus. Handicapped people could receive "special considerations," or seating near the front of a bus, or in a spacious, special area; children could receive special considerations or special seating, if they were traveling without parents (all children traveling alone could sit behind the bus driver, to help ensure the child's safe travel).

Currently, a few people may wonder, why can't brown people discriminate against other brown people? What prevents a group of 'in-need-of-feeling-privileged' brown people from demanding 'better-than-equal-treatment? What prevents brown people from walking-up to other brown people and demanding they 'get-up,' and let them sit down...or move from their apartment, or leave their job, giving them that 'good job'. I know that people will take from other people...sneakers, boyfriends, husbands...but good apartments? Or a good table at a nice resturant?

If the BET Awards charged each person who attended the Image Awards show the same admission price, would it be fair for an 'average' brown person to demand that another brown person 'get-up' and let them have a good seat (which may be a seat closer to the stage)?

In My Opinion, rich people believe that as long as they are rich, they can pay, or have their business or company pay, for first-class seating.

Ethical people seem to believe that they can enjoy first-class seating as long as they can afford such luxuries...otherwise, they would probably sit in coach.

Good looking people can be heard complaining...'get your 'broke-looking' A$$ to the back...yet what happens when a 'I'm good look'n' type person tells another brown person to 'get up'?
If they get up, does that mean that reverse discrimination will be allowed in the future (based upon 'I look better than you' values, and not because common people follow rules)?

Safety Tips

Are There Online Communities For Disabled People?

An Excerpt From my First Blog Entry:

This blog is not just for me. I hope it connects people suffering from Schizophrenia. I envision a community, where we can support and share our experiences. A positive group, that supports each member, as we deal with delusions, and the difficult task of being accepted and valued by society.

How Can Disabled People Stay Safe Online?

My Suggestions:

From my perspective, people who daily deal with personal disabilities do not like being bullied or attacked.


If a disabled person would like to protect their real-life information, they may wish to read about ways to protect their real-world identity.


From my viewpoint, the less a casual online reader knows about your real life, the safer you may be from Identity theft.


I believe it is easier to protect your real identity online by creating an online Identity which is similar to, but not your 'real world' Identity.


From my perspective, this can be done by using a pseudonym, a nickname and by picking a non-obvious 'Avatar' for your profile or web page picture.

Should You Use A Pseudonym? A pseudonym, also called a false name (pseudo means false) may be used online. If a website or web business requires your real name, they will let you know.


Many online websites are populated with people who use pseudonyms or their nicknames to identify themselves.


If a web-site or business asks for personal information, I would question how badly I needed their service; or ask the company how they intended to protect my identity.

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under the title: Avatar (computing)

"In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character.
It may take either a three-dimensional form[1], as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities An 'Avatar' is often an artistic picture that represents the online user."The Internet definition for Avatar is different from other non-online usages. Another term which can be used is profile picture.


A profile picture can be a picture of the online user that does not easily identify the online user, such as a close-up picture of the user's eyes, nose, mouth or hair.

Join Safe Communities.

Friend-sites that help protect you and your friends' information are Friend-Friendly!


There are social networks that allow users to decide what information to keep private, which information to share with their friends, and which information to allow the public to see or not see and read.

Ways To Protect Your Real World Identity Online.

Shop the "Safe Web"

When making purchases online, you may want to shop at respectable or "Safe Business" sites.


Generally, the older businesses are safer. This seems logical, older business tend to develop good relationships with their customers. Older companies are also associated with higher quality.


You may want to look for URLs with the letter 's' behind "http"


https://


I have heard 's' stood for secure connection.

I checked Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, and found, under HTTP Secure

"The main idea of HTTPS is to create a secure channel over an insecure network. This ensures reasonable protection from eavesdroppers and man-in-the-middle attacks, provided that adequate cipher suites are used and that the server certificate is verified and trusted."



You may or may not wish to share your home address or home information with strangers.




If you don't know why you are being asked for your home address, and giving your personal information makes you feel uncomfortable, don't share.
Pseudonyms, nicknames, and avatars are not illegal.

Not sharing, with the public or suspicious online users, IS NOT ILLEGAL!!!




Many people in the real world feel uncomfortable listing their address in the yellow pages, and often request to remain unlisted in the phone directory.






My Advice: It is best to report suspicious activity.

Practice Safety Online and Off!

WYGYWPNTFAPR!

WYGYWPNTFAPR

This blog started with me at home reading a passage from "Wherever You Go There You Are" written by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn.

This is an excerpt from the section called: Patience, in the chapter-lesson: The Bloom of the Present Moment.

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn:

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn: On the radio, I heard someone define ethics as "obedience to the unenforceable." Not bad. You do it for inner reasons, not because someone is keeping score, or because you might be punished if you break the rules and get caught...It is an inner hearing you are attending to...
["Wherever You Go There You Are" by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn]

I can appreciate this view, and agree with the necessity of people behaving ethically.

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn continues [in the same section: Patience, which begins on page 47 of my Hyperion book edition]

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn: If someone hits you with a stick, you don't get angry at the person attatched to the arm. But if you look a little deeper, you can't find a satisfactory root cause or place for your anger, even in the person, who literally doesn't know what he is doing and is therefore out of his mind at the moment. Where should the blame lie, or the punishment?

From my point-of-view, which I call:

The School of FILE A POLICE REPORT: He HIT me with a stick.

(IMO) In an ideal world, I would file a police report, then wait for the authorities (that our society recognizes) to answer 'where the blame lies', and determine what the punishment should be.

As a disabled person, my life-experience-Ainst (angst) lies in part, in my belief, that my neighbors and family see my disability through a:

She is crazy because he hit her with a stick. Does she know?..point-of-view.

From my viewpoint, the voices I hear, which I call 'demonic' have a 'demonic-point-of-view':

We can use her as a telephone because 'god' hit her with a stick.

I find it hard to have a clear, sane view amongst many 'unbalanced' voices.

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn continues to think about the behavior of the hypothetical hitter:

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn: Maybe we should be angry at the person's parents for the abuse they may have showered on a defenseless child."

I also thought of a similar viewpoint (before I had read that sentence). After I read the passage (about not becoming angry with the stick hitter) I wondered how to apply the Golden Rule towards a person harming others. My thoughts went something like:

Me: Because he would not have wanted to be hit with a stick by someone bigger as a child, he should not hit other people with sticks.

What inspires me, and may inspire other people living and working with their lives after being disabled is this passage:

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn: When asked about his apparent lack of anger towards the Chinese by an incredulous reporter at the time he won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Dali Lama replied something to the effect that: "They have taken everything from us; should I let them take my mind as well?"

Another person may ask...'should I let them take my love of life, or of humanity'?

The Doctor's Viewpoint:

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn: This [ The Dali or Dalai Lama's ] remarkable display of peace...the inner peace of knowing what is most fundamental, and the outer peace of embodying that wisdom in carriage and action. Peace, and a willingness to be patient in the face of such enormous provocation and suffering can only come about through the inner cultivation of compassion, a compassion that is not limited to friends, but is felt equally for those who, out of ignorance and often seen as evil, may cause you and those you love to suffer.


I have tried to practice patience (not just exist as a disabled outpatient) through my angry and fearful feelings. I have felt sorrow, rage and hopelessness which, in the past, lead to my suicidal attempts.

I am angry that I can not turn in a police report, or FILE A RESTRAINING ORDER against the voices I hear but can not see. I am angry that the voices that have caused my disabilities continue un-restrained.

I am thankful that I am sometimes able to listen to, or see the light of reason. Reason is a good reason to work, and contine to (try to) practice the Golden Rule.

I am familiar with negativity, feels of bleakness and hopelessness. Such feelings create feeling of suffering. Ironically, when I 'get on' with living my life, I find it easier to live my life (although I continue to hear voices that increase my anxiety, paranoia, fear and anger.)

Jon Kabat-Zinn: When we have to push, we push. When we have to pull, we pull. But we know when not to push too, and when not to pull."

I find this modern world sometimes like...Koyaanisqatsi...life out of balance.

Many people may find it hard to know when not to push. I try to look for guidance.

I also like the familiar saying:

G ♀ d, grant me the
Strength to change the things I can (and should) change
Patience to accept the things I can not change,
and wisdom to know the difference.

In my therapy sessions, which I received free, it helped hearing another person agree with me.

...Maybe I should not try to physically fight with people trying to hurt me (unless it is my last option, as a form of self-defense).
...Yes, some people are dangerous, and may wish me harm.
...Yes, it is 'A-o.k' to ask for help, or call the police.

Lately, I desire validation.
I wish there were a Dial-A-Doctor/therapist Hotline!
I would appreciate a 10 minute talk with someone willing to listen and give helpful advice.

I think I will visit the doctorjoyce.com website, and see if I can suggest the
'Dial-A-Doctor/therapist' idea there.

I like this bit of advice from 'Dr. Joyce':

'Dr. Joyce': "I encourage my clients to affirm their worth and align themselves with PPGPs -- Positive People Going Places" [Ebony.com October 2011]

Me: I like this.

PPGPP -- Positive People Going Someplace Positive

V / S

NPGSP -- Negative People Going Someplace.

I wish Negative People (and their words) would 'get to step'n' taking their 'toxic behavior' elsewhere!

Unfortunately, whatever positive place you will reach, you will probably meet people acting less than 'human'.

This world offers many opportunities to practice (a spiritual practice, and...'love'.)

Where Ever You Go You Will Probably Need To FILE A POLICE REPORT!

Student Loan

The Educational Experience From One Unknown Disabled Person's Experience

Disabled: around 10 years ago.

In 2002, my friend owed around 21,000 in Education Loans.
After finishing a Bachelors Degree from an accredited university, and after applying for, and receiving a loan for 5,000 dollars; my friend owed close to 21,000.00 in loans.

- Cost of attending a 4 year Public College with a tuition of around 2,000.00 each semester ------------------------------------16,000.00

- A few added classes to help ensure
qualification for a job -----------------------------------------5,000.00
__________
Combined owed, around: 21,000.00


My friend was not always disabled. Her disability did not obviously affect her physical (outter) body. She was told that her disability was non-permanent, and that she may recover.

My friend choose options that allowed her to temporary make no payments on her College Loan until she felt better 'abled;' she chose to not stress over loan re-payments, she chose to focus her attention on other stressful matters .

Since my friend started receiving Federal Assistance for disabled persons, she has lived under 10,000.00 a year. I believe that is considered living below the poverty line.

When she received Federal Assistance, she had very little. What possessions she had previously worked for had been stolen, or lost.

When she began experimental treatments (seeking a cure), she worried about the cost of her experimental drug medication, and about the cost of her hospital stays...which occurred frequently after she became disabled.

Those factors, combined with her belief that she was constantly spied upon, combined with mental anguish helped contribute to her sketchy loan repayment history.

Dealing with suicidal thoughts, and a new disability, did not help my friend deal with her shaky financial obligations.

My friend is currently living under the poverty level.
She lived under 10,000.00 a year.
Because she has at times, not made her loan re-payments as scheduled, the government is currently 'offsetting' her loan payments.

About 100.00 dollars are automatically taken from her Social Security Disabilities Payments...the sad thing is that this amount has been automatically deducted for years, and her total Loan Repayment Balance continues to increase...

In May 2012, my friend owes over 30, 000.00 in College Loans.
Call my friend 'DisabledNotBroke.'

I will continue to write about what being disabled means to some people.

What should 'DisabledNotBroke' do?

Tips On How To Safely Deal With Bullies

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

(Chorus)
My head is not a Radio
My head is not a Radio
My head is not a Radio
My head is not a Radio.

(Spoken)
Say it, and believe it.
You are a human being.
Ī am a human being.
Say it, know it.
You are not a Radio.
Ī am not a Radio.

Ī am not an object of human desīgn,
Ī am apart of a sacred Creation
nourished by my creators.
Ī will not let the government, or “psychics,”
or my boyfriend or my mother treat me līke
my head is a radio, when Ī don’t want my head
to feel līke a radio, or a telephone.

Ī have a place. It is not a temple, it is not a radio station.
It is in my body.
You may be welcomed in my body.
You may not be welcomed in my body.
Ī may communicate.
Ī may not speak.
My head is not a Radio
The human heart, beating, is not a Radio.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/legalcode


Bullying
( This definition is from the Wikipedia article on Bullying,
Link/ URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullying)

Bullying is an act of repeated aggressive behavior in order to intentionally hurt another person, physically or mentally. Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person.


Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus futher describes bullying as when a person is:
"exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons." He defines negative action as "when a person intentionally inflicts injury or discomfort upon another person, through physical contact, through words or in other ways.”

More information about Bullying may be found at this webpage using this URL: http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/bullying.page

Also, another excellent site for Bully Survival Tips for kids and younger adults can be found at this website:
URL: http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/bullies.html#



Here are some things you can do to combat psychological and verbal bullying:

Practice Confīdence. Stand up for your rīghts. You have a rīght to defend yourself (your body). Practice respecting yourself, think about your actions, and stand firmly when verbally attacked or criticized.

Practice telling the truth. Knowing what is real, from exaggerated reports, is helpful.

Make Goals. You are not responsible for the actions of other people, how other people act or dress, yet you are responsible for your actions, behavior and dress. What you do with your tīme everyday reflects what you hope to achieve in your līfe. Follow your heart...yet keep your feet on the ground. Stay practical. Ask for help. Fīnding activities you enjoy may be a great way to meet new friends.

Learn ways you can improve your self-defense skills. Exercīse, take Self-Defense classes, Practice responding to emergencies, and learn how to quickly call for help.

Seek emotional support. Fīnd friends whom you can be honest with. Adults can be good friends. If you are being bullied or hurt, ask for help.

Join Safe Communities, Onlīne and off-līne.
Churches and local community groups can be safe groups to have fun with off-līne. Onlīne, look for 'Friend-sītes' that help protect you and your friends' information and prīvacy. If you are a kid, make sure your parents know where you go onlīne, and what sītes you visit onlīne, getting their approval is important.

Other Tips For Dealing With Bullies (physically).

Ignore the bully and walk away...you may also leave Onlīne groups when negative, and abusive Onlīne users make the group-experience unfun.

If you are not a good fīghter, don't get physical unless you need to defend yourself. You may try to reason with a bully, try asking a bully to leave you alone, you may even want to study wrestling on T.V. If you believe a physical confrontation is un-avoidable, try giving fair warning. If you have been reporting the actions of the bully, other people may believe you.
According to some experts who wrīte about bullying, some families believe bullying is a way to learn better self-defense skills. If your family believes bullying is an acceptable way to encourage improving your self-defense, ask them for their help.

Some forms of bullying are dangerous, and with increased aggression, some bullying can 'get out of control'. If you believe you are in a dangerous situation, call for help.

If you are a kid, talking with a guīdance counselor, teacher, or family-friend can be helpful. Young adults may also wish to stay together as a group late at nīght. There is an old saying...there is safety in numbers. Responsible young-adults should make sure they know the members of their group...and practice no friend left behīnd.



------Cited
"Bullying". Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Last Updated: 14, April 2012. Web. 1, May 2012
>:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullying#cite_note-olweusdef-16 >

Visit Kidshealth.org URL address: http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/bullies.html#

Buenos Dias!

Good Day!

About Me.

Ī was born in North Carolīna in the 1970's. Ī am an African- American woman living with a mental illness. My first Schizophrenic episode occurred in the Fall of 1999. Since my illness, Ī have been a student, a homeless person, and a language teacher.

Why Ī Started This Blog.

Ī have lived with Schizophrenia for over ten years. My relationship with the illness has changed; Ī went from telling people what “my voices” said, to hearing my voice, and seeking or trying to offer better guīdence. As my understanding of the illness evolves, my self-reflective documentation offers a type of insight. Sometīmes the voices Ī hear in my head generate īdeas that Ī fīnd interesting, or frīghtning. Since Ī was an active wrīter onlīne, Ī wanted to follow my īdeas or personal reflections in a blog. Sometīmes Ī hope my blogs are useful, and helpful; Ī also want to experiment with blogging and wrīting blogs as a type of edited journal. Ī hope literate people will read my blog and other blogs about mental health. [ Ī will also ri-spell words that annoy me, as Ī move towards better 'fonetics' ]

What Ī Hope To Accomplish.

This blog is not just for me. Ī hope it connects people suffering from Schizophrenia. Ī envision a community, where we can support and share our experiences. A positive group, that supports each member, as we deal with delusions, and the difficult task of being accepted.